A Ying Yang Scenario

I find Hillary's Iran vote hard to believe. This is Oops, I did it again.

Hillary Might Defy Gravity

I have compared her to Ted Kennedy in 1980, to Howard Dean in 2004, to Joe Lieberman in 2003. But I have a feeling that is not the full story.

It's amazing to me how Hillary is cashing gender. She is coming sure and strong.

Right now I am thinking it is going to be a close race. Hillary 2008 can be defeated, but it will not implode.

Amy, Holly

Amy is at the Columbia Journalism School, doing her Masters. She can be seen in the second half of this video interviewing people for her assignment. It was a rally to remember five years ago Barack stood up against the Iraq War.

And then it was her turn to interview me. And the first thing I said was, "I like Hillary." And she visibly changed. She just got so much more comfortable. She got so very relaxed.

"I like Hillary, it is just that I like Barack more," I added. And we both laughed.

Holly is a young professional. I met her at the DL21C annual summer bash. We became Facebook friends the following morning, but I never heard from her again. A few days back I saw she had joined a million strong for Hillary group on Facebook.

"I like Hillary," I said to her too. "It is just that I support Obama." And she visibly changed. She just got so comfortable.

I think there is this feeling men have been ruling for 10,000 years. Now it is the woman's turn. I am not going to argue with that. I have not tried. Gender is proving to be Hillary's number one strength and I think that is fair. I grew up in a very sexist part of the world. Bill Clinton is from the US South of race, I am from the Global South of gender. In the policy realm, I have found myself less sexist than most white guys I have met, and I think it is to do with where I come from. I do not struggle to see the gender countours. They are loud and clear to me. Gender is a major part of social reality.

If I were Barack Obama - which I am not - I think I would be saying, if you want symbolic progress on gender, go with Hillary, if you want substantive progress on gender, come with me. Indira Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto were women with "strength and experience" and they did not do much if anything at all for gender in their countries. Hillary is going to be the same way. That would be my line of attack.

George H W Bush, Lyndon Johnson

Herbert Walker competed against Reagan hard in 1980. He lost. But he came such a close second, Reagan had to have him on the ticket.

Lyndon Johnson fought JFK tooth and nail in 1960. JFK felt the need for a unity ticket after the fight was over. Bobby Kennedy was offended. We just spent months fighting this guy, now look what you did!

Right now I don't know what will be what, but I have a feeling both the "first African American" and the "first woman" are going to end up on the ticket. One is going to win, and another is going to be a close second. That is what it looks like right now.

A Barack Hillary Ticket

I am rooting for Barack. But it is a long way. There is going to be some major drama in January and February. Stay tuned.

In The News

Having less means asking for more for Obama Baltimore Sun, United States Obama Appeal: ‘Close the Gap’New York TimesObama Outlines Rural Policy The Associated Press a plan to aid smaller farms, expand the renewable fuels industry and establish incentives for organic production. ...... a goal of producing 2 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol by 2013 while ensuring that such an expansion doesn't increase pollution. Iowa leads the nation in ethanol production. ........ Edwards called for enforcing antitrust laws to thwart corporate farming operations from monopolizing the business, capping farm subsidy payments at $250,000 and establishing a national fund to increase investments in rural communities. He also favors improving Internet access and offering bonuses of up to $15,000 to bring in top teachers to needy rural areas. ....... "Let me put it this way, I think the world of Barack Obama and he is the future of this party. Hillary Clinton and Slick Willie and those people, they are the past," Jones said. "John Edwards is the present for the Democratic Party." ....... Obama told voters that if elected president, he would hold a rural policy summit in Iowa and submit a package of proposals to Congress within the first 100 days in office. ....... "Real leadership for rural America starts with one simple principle: listening" ...... ............................ A $250,000 limit on subsidy payments to farmers as well as strict environmental rules and enforcement for large livestock operations. ...... Creation of new cost-sharing programs to help farmers get certification as organic farmers, and revamping crop insurance programs to avoid penalizing organic producers. ...... A goal of a 50 percent increase in the economy's energy efficiency by 2030. ...... A change to allow small businesses to pool together to offer health insurance for workers, with subsidies for those who can't afford it. Also, overhaul the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement system that can penalize rural areas. ..... Loan forgiveness for doctors and nurses who practice in rural areas. Also, revamp community college programs to "reflect the increasingly dynamic and technical skills required for rural America to respond to a globalizing workforce." Obama's wife in London on charm offensiveTelegraph.co.ukNote to Obama and Edwards: Step-Up on Iran Huffington Post, NY upbraid Hillary Clinton for going along with Bush's impending attack on Iran. ....... the Pentagon's plans to attack Iran ..... Bush, Clinton and the go-along Congressional Dems are leading us into another disastrous war. ...... Of course Bush will disregard Hillary's resolution demanding he check with Congress before attacking Iran. No president since James Polk has felt the need to check with Congress before "defending" American troops. ......... A war on Iran has been a neocon dream for decades ....... Bush has consistently disregarded checks and balances. He defied a Supreme Court decision banning torture simply by ordering his Justice Department to secretly issue a go-ahead. ...... After Bush launches the planned strikes on the IRG, Iran will hit our naval forces in the Persian Gulf and our troops in Iraq. Within an afternoon, we will be at war. ....... The Iranian navy will cut the oil supply of the European economies and a worldwide depression will hit American markets. Other regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, might be drawn into the war. Within weeks tens of thousands will be dead ....... They must join me in challenging her directly during the debates.Obama: US Must Encourage IranAlalam News Network "I think Iran understands what military threats we pose. You know, they're not surprised that we could strike them," Obama said. "What we haven't suggested in any way is what advantages they would have in acting more responsibly in the region. That's been the missing ingredient." ....... a week of sparring over Iran with his main rival Sen. Hillary Clinton ...... On Thursday, Clinton said she'd meet with Iranian leaders "without preconditions" - a position she criticized Obama for taking earlier in the summer. ....... Obama also questioned Clinton's judgment in voting for last month's Kyl-Lieberman amendment, which identified the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. Obama said the amendment included language that empowers the president to attack Iran. ..... "This is a lesson that I think Sen. Clinton and others should have learned: that you can't give this president a blank check and then act surprised when he cashes it," Obama said. Obama, Edwards push rural agendas in Iowa Boston Globe, United States

Looks to me like the top political organization in NYC is celebrating Gender Month!

I am all for grassroots organizing, but even when you do that, your goal is to get into the corridors of power. DL21C is more in tune with the structure of power than any organization like it in the city. It was good to be at the DL21C event last night. And I look forward to its next event.

DL21C's Education Committee presentsDr. Marcia V. LylesDeputy Chancellor for Teaching and LearningNew York City Department of Education"Our City's Public Schools: Educational Innovation or Just Another Change?"7pm, Dekk Lounge134 Reade Street(one block North of Chambers Street between Hudson and Greenwich Streets)A/C/E/1/2/3 to Chambers StreetJ/M/Z/4/5/6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall Station

Got Issues? How Progressives Are Taking Back Ballot Measures and Winning Campaigns

DL21C presentsKristina Wilfore, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, for a lively discussion of the new energy around progressive ballot issues. She will talk about how this under-the-radar weapon is quickly becoming a powerful political tool around the country.Location TBD

DL21C Political Author Series continues with...Christine Pelosi, author of Campaign Boot Camp: Basic Training for Future Leaders, as she discusses her new book, her message to future public servants, and her life as the daughter of the country's first woman speaker, Nancy Pelosi.Location TBD

Please RSVP!

Clinton, Obama Enter Next Stage of Primary Race Flush With Cash Bloomberg next 100 days ....... Most states will hold their contests by mid-February ...... Clinton paid $15,000 for office rent to the William J. Clinton Foundation run by her husband ....... pent $6 million on payroll, $1.7 million on media and almost $1 million on polling. ...... Among Obama's expenses was a $9.30 charge for printing at the Clinton Library in Arkansas. He spent $5.6 million on payroll, $2.1 million on telemarketing and $3.7 million on media. ....... Obama is spending as much per week on Iowa TV as Kerry did less than a month before the 2004 caucus ....... the Clinton campaign burning through $22.6 million, compared with $21.5 million for the Obama campaign. ...... Obama reported more new donors in the third quarter than he estimated at the beginning of the month. His total of 108,000 new contributors may have topped Clinton's estimate of more than 100,000. ....... Clinton's biggest sources of money were New York-based Morgan Stanley, whose employees gave $209,970, and New York- based Goldman Sachs Group Inc., whose employees contributed $186,540. ....... ``When you look at the scale and scope of the operations that both of these campaigns have, it's staggering.''